And We'll Find Each Other Again
by fatheartsarewhatcounts
Summary: Beca Mitchell and Chloe Beale knew each other in college but didn't stay in touch as the years went by. Five years later, and they're both living in separate states, the memories of the Barden Bella's and college experiences nothing more than a thing to laugh over fondly when mentioned in passing. Nothing can ever happen between them... Right?
1. Chapter 1

"Ok, that's the last of the boxes, so I think it's time to call it a night as far as unloading goes. Thanks again for helping me, Beca. You really didn't have to." Chloe said as she smiled, reclining on the couch inside her new apartment with a beer in hand. "Wow, I can't believe this is really mine. I mean, it's so strange to think that this I've graduated and am now like, an adult." She added, looking around the room, which was full of packing boxes and an assortment of discarded items. Chloe bit her lip and then grinned. "It's a good strange though."

Beca sat down next to her friend, crossing her legs under her and smiling at Chloe's comfort in her new place. "I'm really glad you like it here. I'll miss you on campus though. Who's going to run in on my showers now?" She teased, poking the redhead in the side. "I'm going to have to find a new person to do my bathroom duos with."

"Don't worry, we'll still hang out. I can't wait to see you rise to fame with the Bella's this year. You'll make an amazing captain, Becs."

"Thanks." Beca muttered, looking away. She was still pretty worried about being the only captain this year. "It's crazy, but I think I'll actually miss Aubrey's tyrannous reign once rehearsals start. I'm not really… good with people."

"Hey." Chloe turned to Beca and took her hand, squeezing it tightly and pulling her a little closer. "You'll be great. I know it. The Bardon Bella's are in great hands."

Beca blushed. "Um. Thanks." She mumbled, cursing at herself internally for having that kind of reaction to Chloe. The whole heart-racing-palms-sweating thing was a little to clichéd for her, but she couldn't help it. Aside from that, it was totally inappropriate for her to be feeling that way about her friend, who was fully oblivious to it all. "I, uh, think I have to go…" Beca announced when she noticed that Chloe still hadn't backed away. She awkwardly stood up and ambled around the room in search for her bag, which she finally found next to Chloe's stuffed pony. "I've got to go do the night shift for the station. It was really great to see you again, Chlo. And good luck with your new house. I'll drop off your housewarming gift tomorrow." She turned to walk towards the door, and Chloe stood up.

"I'll walk you out."

As they stood outside the apartment, beside Beca's car, the brunette felt a wave of nerves wash over her. It was elicited from the fact that Chloe had wrapped her arms around her, leaning in for a warm embrace. Although she'd never really had friends that were girls, Beca could have sworn that normal friends didn't hug like that. It was just a little too close, and a little too sweet, like she never wanted it to end, but of course was always over too soon. Beca couldn't explain how, but their bodies fit together perfectly and she felt like there was no place better in the world than in the redhead's embrace._Just stop, nothing's ever going to happen, _she told herself, trying not to hear the other part of her that was screaming for her to cross the small distance between them and kiss the redhead.

"I'm- I'm really proud of you, Chlo." She stuttered, pulling away before she did something crazy and opening the door to her car. Before she could get in, however, she was stopped by her friend grabbing her arm. She stared at Chloe with a blank expression as the redhead seemed to be struggling for words, as if she was fighting her impulse to say something. Her expression changed and she muttered out a small "thanks" before quickly giving Beca a kiss on the cheek. As the younger woman put on her seatbelt, Chloe finally found the strength to speak up. "Uh… Beca?"

"Yeah?" Beca mumbled, pausing her actions and looking up at the redhead.

"Don't ever forget that you're amazing. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise, and if they have a problem with that, tell them to come to me. Anyone who wants to get to my girl will have to go through me." She finished with a small smile, looking up from the ground and winking at Beca, who had frozen in her seat. "Goodnight." Chloe whispered.

With that, she turned on her heel and crossed the sidewalk to stand on her porch. The last Beca saw of her friend that night was a small wave as the redhead watched the car disappear around the corner into the night.

* * *

Beca's eyes flew open and she narrowed them immediately when she realised where she was and what she'd been doing.

She'd been dreaming about Chloe Beale again.

It didn't matter that she hadn't seen her friend in over five years.

After the night that had been featured in her dream, they'd tried their best to stay in contact, but of course things had got in the way. Classes, rehearsals, work, and life in general. And even though they didn't want it to go that way, they both eventually grew apart. It was the fault of neither of them, as one can hardly be blamed for such a thing occurring. As Beca's dad was so fond of reminding her, some people came into your life for a reason, and some only for a season.

But Beca refused to believe that about the redhead. She knew that her friendship with Chloe had been real, and she didn't feel like the redhead she'd grown so attached to wasn't going to be a part of her future, no matter how small.

But the odds weren't appearing to be in her favour. For one, they lived in two different states, and Beca was constantly busy with the record label she'd started after her graduation. With its growing popularity and success, no matter how perfect for Beca's career, the brunette had virtually no time to spare.

So it was unhealthy. This obsession she had with her old friend, the one she'd fallen in love with in her freshman year. But she couldn't help it. She couldn't help the fact that every song she wrote was inspired by Chloe, nor the fact that every single time she checked someone out, she judged their attractiveness by the redhead's standards. Like if someone had gorgeous blue eyes, she'd remember Chloe's and how their radiance had managed to brighten her life.

She knew nothing would ever come from it. She knew, deep down inside her, that Chloe was probably happy without her, and that the redhead probably never even thought of her, or if she did, it wasn't half as frequently as Chloe crossed Beca's mind.

So with a sigh she rolled off her bed onto the hard tile of her bedroom, shouting a curse at the air when she remembered how cold they were in mornings. She staggered off the ground and into her closet, scavenging around for some clothes that at least resembled clean. She continued in her zombie state until the freezing water of her shower hit her face, startling her out of her trance and readying her for her day.

An hour later she was walking through the doors of "Mitchell Mixes", her record brand. She grinned as she entered her office and saw that her P.A. had been there before her, her desk being occupied by a large extra-strength latte and croissant on top of a neatly folded newspaper. She relaxed into her thousand-dollar chair and unfolded the paper, speedily scanning through the headlines for anything that might catch her attention. She was about to chuck it into her bin when a certain name caught her attention. The article was titled _Chloe Beale: The Insight into the Rising Star's Struggles with Vocal Nodules and Her Triumphs With College A Cappella Groups._

Beca grinned as she read through the article, knowing well that what Chloe had been working so hard for was finally hers. She chuckled as she realised that what they'd discussed five years ago when lazing around between classes together was really coming true. She knew what Chloe would say about it all. That she knew Beca could do it all along.

There was something that made her heart leap, in the final paragraph of the interview:

**_Q: And when looking back over it all, would you say that there's anything in particular that you regret most?_**

_A: [Laughs] I think that if I could go back and do it all again, I'd make sure that I didn't let some people go without a fight… I guess it's true that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. I mean, some of the people I met along the way, they really changed me, helped me grow, and I miss them in my life._

This made Beca stop and read it twice, sure that there was some hidden meaning in those words. She could have been desperate, but she thought that Chloe had been talking about her. She knew that it was completely crazy of her, but she couldn't stop the hope that had arisen inside her.

She jumped out of her chair and ran at full speed to her car, earning her plenty of strange looks from people she passed. She had no idea in hell what she was going to do, only sure of one thing- she couldn't lose Chloe again.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ok, I know I've been kind of totally horrible with uploading this, and I'm really sorry... My lame excuse is that I didn't want to rush the creative process. So yeah. But I hope you guys like this chapter (as in hope it was worth the wait!). Thanks for all the support, especially the reviews. Everything is seriously great. You're all awesome.**

"And the weather in New York City is looking mostly clear with a few scattered showers throughout the day. We'll be landing in about five minutes, I hope you've enjoyed your flight with us today." The voice over the intercom continued as Beca breathed a big sigh of relief. The flight had been awful… to put it mildly, that is. You see, it hadn't been until after she'd got on the plane that Beca remembered one tiny flaw in the plan- that she hated flying. But, as luck would have it, by then it was too late for her to get off. She was left with no choice but to grin and bear it and to try not to pull an 'Aubrey' during the flight.

As well as this, with every mile closer to New York, her plan was feeling more and more ridiculous. She was travelling halfway across the country for a girl she hadn't even talked to in five years… because of what? Because she'd had a feeling?

The truth was, she was chasing after a girl who had never even shown any interest in her, one who was presumably straight, and probably in a relationship.

And to add insult to injury, Beca knew that there was no evidence that she ever even so much as crossed Chloe's mind. Even if she did, she knew it was probably fleeting and not half as much as Chloe was featured in her thoughts.

So she couldn't help the scowl that was on her face whenever she thought about what she was doing. And the thing is, it was so not like her. Beca was definitely not the sort of girl to just drop everything and pursue someone who was nothing but a memory just on a whim. If you'd have told her three weeks ago that she was going to be sitting here, in the predicament that she was in, she would've laughed in your face and told you that you must have been smoking something _really _weird. She would never have believed you, because she just wasn't that girl.

But yet, here she was, chasing after the redhead who'd appeared in her life and turned it upside down without so much as a second thought. The whirlwind girl who had the ability to send Beca's body into a nervous breakdown with nothing but a smile…

After the flight that seemed like way too long for comfort, or even discomfort for that matter, they were finally landing, and Beca felt that familiar rush of excitement pulsing through her body at the thought that Chloe was somewhere close by. Ok, well not exactly close by, but she was finally in the same state as Beca and that was good enough for the brunette. As she disembarked the plane, her legs albeit a little shaky because the nausea she'd been experiencing hadn't subsided yet, the exhausted grimace that had been on her face grew into a tentative grin and she couldn't help the little bit of spring that had found its way into her step. She knew she should have been scoffing at that, because honestly, who even uses the phrase 'spring in their step' anymore, aside from cheap crap-ass romance novels? She knew that this whole debacle was totally cliché and sounded like one of those stupid Disney movies she'd avoided as a child, you know the whole 'braving the seas and deserts, defeating horrible foes and enemies, all to find the lost love of years past' idea, but she knew also at the same time that this was what made Chloe worth it.

Because, if it were anyone else, she wouldn't even think about flying across the country to see them. She wouldn't blow off the god knows how many clients that she would by leaving, and most of all, she definitely wouldn't be jeopardizing her badass reputation for just anyone. Beca was the kind of girl who thought that love was nothing but an unachievable ideal that the media had created so that they could sell stuff. She was the type who thought it was a great idea in theory, sure, but one who'd seen one too many broken hearts to believe in it as a reality.

So that's how she knew Chloe was different from anyone else. The fact that the redhead had managed to make Beca think about what their first date would be like, on the lucky day that Beca ever managed to score going on that with Chloe. The fact that Beca had wondered what it would feel like to kiss Chloe, to dance with Chloe, to tell the redhead that she loved her. Hell, the older woman had even got the DJ musing about what it would be like to spend the rest of their lives together.

Never, with anyone else, would Beca think about love as anything other than a distraction. But with Chloe, it was the opposite of a distraction- it was this wonderful thing that made Beca feel like she could do anything, that made her feel a hundred times better from nothing but the thought of Chloe's smile, and the thing that made Beca sure that she'd do whatever it took to one day feel with Chloe.

* * *

Three hours later, Beca was unpacking her clothes in the hotel she'd found, which was situated right in the heart of New York, when her phone's screen sprang to life with a call. She chuckled to herself as she crossed the room and heard the familiar "Danger! Danger!" ringtone that she'd assigned to her P.A. once when she was drunk and never got around to changing. She tapped the 'Answer' button and soon the shrill tones of Aubrey Posen were gracing her ears.

"Beca Mitchell! What the hell do you think you're doing? This is a mistake of aca-abominable proportions!" She shrieked, and Beca winced and held the phone a little further from her ear. "For serious, Beca, what the fuck is going on?"

Beca chuckled. "Aubrey, calm down. It's just New York. I can still do my work from here. Hell, I can even get new contacts for my next album."

Aubrey scoffed. "Beca, don't for one second try to sell me that bullshit that you've gone to New York for any reason other than Chloe Beale."

Beca bit her lip. "I'm not…. I mean, I uh- fine. Ok. Whatever. I came for Chloe." She mumbled, frowning at how well Aubrey knew her.

"I totally knew it. Stacie, I was right. I told you I'd be right!" Beca rolled her eyes when she heard Aubrey talking to their receptionist. Of course her whole company had to get involved in her personal matters. Because _that_ wasn't unprofessional. Not at all.

"Uh, Aubrey, would you mind telling me why you called? I kind of have a girl to charm here." Beca reminded Aubrey.

"Well, for starters there was the whole fiasco where you up and left the state without telling me, but I also wanted to tell you that Florence and the Machine called yesterday and she wants to work with you."

Beca's eyebrows shot up and her mouth formed an 'o'. "Are you shitting me?" She asked.

Aubrey giggled. "Nope. She's going to be in town on the 25th, and her manager called and told me that she liked your last album and wants to do a song with you."

Beca was rendered speechless. "I… Really? Holy shit Aubrey, that's kind of like a dream come true."

Aubrey smirked. "I know right? But you know what that means, don't you?"

Beca sighed. "I have to be back by then. I know. But that only gives me two weeks here. How am I supposed to just show up in Chloe's life again after all these years without so much as a hello before I drop the bombshell that I'm in love with her?" She groaned.

"Well, I hate to break it to you Beca, but she probably already knew, you were totally obvious about it." Aubrey stated in her usual matter-of-fact tone.

Beca blushed, but tried to cover up her embarrassment by shooting a "fuck you" back at Aubrey.

"Aw, thanks sweetie, I'll miss you too." Aubrey replied, her grin not faltering at all- she and Beca always said stuff like that to each other, but they were still best friends and never really meant it.

Beca rolled her eyes, silent for a bit before muttering, "Was it really that obvious?" in a small voice.

Aubrey sighed. "Hon, we were going to have to hold a toner intervention for you at one stage." Beca scowled. "But don't worry, I think she had the hots for you, too. After you guys did that mash-up together in the pool, it was all she sang for like three weeks."

Beca grinned. "Really?"

"Sure." Aubrey replied. She thought for a moment. "Hey Beca?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you really serious about all this?" Aubrey asked gently.

"I am. I think… I think I might be in love with her." Beca admitted, scuffing the toe of her shoe against the carpet lining the floors of her expensive suite.

"Well okay, then. I'll see what I can do." Aubrey told her, and hung up before Beca could finish asking her what the hell she meant. Beca sighed, lying down on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling. Was this really a good idea?

After thinking about it for a while, she decided that she would really never know until she tried. So she decided to go for it. Chloe was worth anything that could go wrong along the way.

So, as she worked her bottom lip through her teeth nervously, Beca sent a text to Chloe, hoping the number she'd had five years earlier was the right one.

_Hey Chloe, it's me. Uh, Beca. Beca, Mitchell, that is, in case you don't remember me. I was just wondering, how are you? I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry I was really shitty with communication, I just got really busy with my work and stuff. I just wanted to tell you that I kind of miss you. _


End file.
